This Black Rose of Mine
by Day Dreamer 87
Summary: What can truly save a person? Why do things never go as planed? When Daisuke's friend stirrs up uncontrolable emotions and helps unlock the Hikari mystery, both Phantom Dark and Satoshi find them selves questioning everything that they were destined for
1. Velvet Moon

**Yes, i changed this story because the one beofre this did crap for me. I'm hopefully improving... So, please read and review. :) **

**Chapter One**

There he stood, alone and confused upon a broken ledge. His mind raced with two decisions, to try and forget everything that had happened, or finish the result of his anguish.

Lights of the darkness shined brightly through the gloomy evening. The clouds of night softly floated overhead his abandoned castle. The one his mother built for him, of him and by him…

It now stood in ruins on grounds that have long since lived and tasted fresh cool water. The young boy remembered how his mother looked at him her last with eyes filled with fear, like he was a creature unknown to mankind. All of these years he had spend in solitude, he had pondered why she tried to destroy him and then herself…

Every night, he would perch himself up on the ledge where she used to show him the world. The woman he called 'mother' displayed what it was like to live. But now, here he sits alone within himself, wishing to live like his mother told.

The taste of life was something strange and foreign to the boy. Days turned into weeks which gradually transformed into months than years until he had finally reached his result.

He grew cold to no one but himself and read every book inside his weary library to gain insight against his enemy. With no guide to lead him straight on his endangered road of life, the boy was irreversibly set on living. Seeing world with disfigured dreams, the he had chosen to finish the result of his anguish, and see to it that everyone would know his name.

"You will never forget it…" He pledged to himself that his prey would never forget the day of his coming. Sitting by his old library window, he intently glared at the outward world insanely jealous of what he dearly wanted…and that Kokuyoko had.

He silently reminisced all of his last moments with his creator before. He remembered that she loved the piano…Encouraging himself to get up from sitting by the window, he walked over to the eloquent antique piano that they would practice on every morning.

The young boy slowly sat down and lightly stroked the keys with his hands. He then closed his eyes as a familiar song came to him.

The piece brought a new mood into the castle. It drifted into every room and artifact, flooding with longing, sorrow and memory.

A gentle smile quietly spread across his face as he remembered the words: "_To touch the cup with eager lips and taste, not drain it…to woo and tempt and court a bliss—and not attain it…" _

The young boy stopped and laughed through his despair for feeling cast out from all things breathing. That choice was something not up to him, but from his mother. "He would know why…" A thought suddenly emerged in his head, "That Hikari is sure to know…his mother was quite a handful."

Getting ready to leave what he was already flamed great excitement within him. The young boy would never have to look at what he was again. His outer shell would forever be on his island, rotting with isolation and abandonment to love.

He remembered precisely what occurred sixteen years ago…he was so close to grasping what he longed for…however, "Yes, she was such an annoyance…"

Soaring over the sky toward his future, he could feel the wind flow through his blonde hair. The ocean beneath him looked like a massive blanket of black velvet in the night as the moon's radiance reflected on the water. Ahead of him was Azumano, the current residence of his objective.

The city light's glow was mirrored on the ocean's surface as he approached closer. The young boy could feel his anticipation raise his ever long urge to taste food and to feel love…and to be loved.

"I was so close…" The vision he had forever haunted his dreams of life. Flames of envy and abhorrence seared him to land faster to his destination, not wanting to wait till it was too late. To be so near an achievement, only to fail…that was what he wanted Kokuyoko to feel.

To his very last breath.


	2. The Last Day of Peace

Ayako Ichimura briskly walked towards Azumano high school. She was about to become a sophomore within a couple days since all of the freshman count the last day of their first year to be sophomores. The year had gone by so quickly for her and her friends.

Daisuke was her best friend, whom she's known for about two years now, and they could talk about everything and anything without feeling embarrassed or disappointed. They met at their first job as a Snack Shack employee down by the beach. She was very grateful for him…and for someone else.

Summer's sent of adventure soon reached her nostrils as she looked up. The radiant deep blue sky had but only a few tiny clouds floating aimlessly about. The sudden fragrance of freshly watered roses overcame adventure's aroma. Looking at the school from a slight distance, Ayako couldn't see many people there waiting fro their friends as usual.

'_I wonder if I should tell him…_' Her thoughts quickly wondered to the object of her deepest affections, Satoshi Hiwatari. They met on the first day, thanks to Daisuke, but it took a while before he became comfortable with her around. Back then, Daisuke would give Ayako tips on how to talk to Satoshi. He explained to her that he's not very good at showing himself to others…

'_What would he do? Oh! That'd be so kool if he liked me too!'_ Ayako smile had a full sensation of glee while continuing onto the highs school grounds. The young girl began to fantasize for the fifth time that morning.

With none of her friends around yet, Ayako sat by the tree that they always met at. Riku was at practice, Risa was probably still sleeping like Daisuke and Satoshi's carpool was hopefully on its way. The maple tree's leaves glowed a bright green due to the sunlight as they swayed with the wind.

'_but…what if he doesn't? What if that rumor about Risa is true? Does she really like him too? Does he like her? I thought she 'loved' Phantom Dark?' _Ayako's mind swirled with various scenarios of the experience of rejection from Satoshi. Risa was Ayako second best friend; they loved going shopping when Ayako didn't have any homework. Risa just barely did any, so she could go anytime.

Sitting at the base of the beautiful maple tree, Ayako could help but feel worried sick that Risa had been lying to her. '_It's not like they talk a lot unlike he and I do…_' With daydreaming real-life scenarios too often, Ayako couldn't help but feel like she was already denined her chance with the handsome Hiwatari.

An abrupt odd shine caught her eye from below. When she glanced down, it was gone. After a few moments of quietness, it happened once again and Ayako saw where it was coming from.

The necklace that she had received from her father was rapidly pulsing a deep violet color. "What the CRAP?" Confused from never seeing this before, she picked it up to analyze it.

"_Truth of the Heart Leads to the Blackness of the Rose…" _

A haze swept over her when the atmosphere around her rapidly transformed. A white substance was defying gravity and eerily crept over every surface around Ayako into glass. "WHAT? The heck…?" The temperature quickly dropped as the light from the sun leisurely faded into a faint dim.

She sat there for a moment, trying to get her brain to work. The shocked girl closed her eyes and counted to ten. She soon repeated this around three times before she finally realized that this wasn't a dream.

"_You have chosen…" _A feminine voice echoed throughout the glassy area.

"Wait! WHAT DID I CHOOSE--?"—"_Why did you do this? I…I thought you loved me?" _

"_You idiotic romantic…do you really think I could love you, something that haunts my past and future?" _A beautiful blonde woman approached a bent over figure in the darkness of the room. Her blue eyes pierced the disposition of the moment with a fierce reality.

Broken, the man's thoughts raced of how his beautiful beloved was capable of such treachery. He knew she was not to be trusted the very moment he saw her, nevertheless his passion to feel soon corrupted his being. He lied there now, doubled over in ache of what she was about to do, regretting his selfish desire to love her.

"_How could you do this?" _The man's voice shook with pain, "_WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS?"_ Soft sounds of muffled tears filled the region as the woman just stared at him on the cold floor. "_I love you so much, Tsbaki…"_ With his energy slowly draining from him, the man fell to his side. Tears of betrayal and agony dripped steadily down his face.

The woman appeared to feel the same way, her lips clenched tightly together and her eyes now reflected regret, but she miraculously held in her sorrow. In her right hand, she clutched a rather small object in her right hand covered in a caramel colored cloth.

"_Tsbaki…why? You… you were the one who was different…the one who never left…" _The man's emotions blazed with confusion, he soon bellowed with anger against his dearest beloved._ "Everything I gave up for you…I NEVER DID IT SO YOU COULD CONTINUE THIS!" _

"_Then why did you do it? Oh, that's right…it was because you 'loved' me right? I never thought some THING like you could be so dense as to trust me because I shouted, 'I love you'." _

"_Every time I saw you…didn't…don't you feel anything for…me?"_ The words that came out of the man sounded as if he did not want to know. His countenance proved that his worst fear came true.

The young woman slowly leaned down towards his face, "_I never loved you, Dark Mousey." _

Unexpectedly, the two doomed people disappeared into nothing and the glass surroundings quickly retreated to where they came from. It all turned back to normal with the sense that nothing ever happened…

"Ayako? Ayako? Are you alright?" a familiar voice spoke upward from her. Satoshi looked down at the dazed Ayako and waved his hands in front of her face. When he saw that that didn't work, he poked her causing her to jump into the air. He wondered if Riku did something to her again to alter her view of everyday life like last time…

"Sa-Sa-SA-SA-Satoshi! Hello! Hi! What's going on…?" The girl was caught off guard and did her best not to sound too startled. "You looked out of it a second ago…are you sure you're alright?" He asked unconsciously knowing that he held a hand out for Ayako to help get up.

"Yes, I am…" She took his hand and tried not to blush when he held it tightly as he pulled her up. A brief moment of silence occurred between them as the looked at one another.

"Er…so how are you?" Satoshi asked to change the mood unsuccessfully. "Oh, i-I'm fine. I was just…daydreaming…" Ayako said awkwardly to her crush of one year. Satoshi felt very close to Ayako even though they've only known each other for only about a year.

At the beginning of the school year, she was very oblivious to Satoshi's attempts to get rid her. She was always friendly to him and smiled to him at every class they had together. In some ways, she reminded him of a girl version of Daisuke.

But the one moment that separated them from being best friends from total strangers was one day in October. It was a rough day for Satoshi, having not capture Dark again, and some juniors were giving him a hard time during his way to lunch.

They mocked and make fun of him because he supposedly put two of their fathers in jail; Satoshi tried his best to ignore them, but his anger was too much. He lashed out at them, giving one guy a bloody nose making the other gang up on him when Ayako came around the corner.

The cowards ran and Ayako took him to the nurse where she stayed with him until he felt better. Then he faced more ridicule from his classmates for trying to arrest Phantom Dark; he was never known to be the police Commander in charge of the Legendary Phantom Thief case until that night because one news station forgot their contract with the Police Station and showed his face on TV.

Ayako defended Satoshi that day and claimed to forever be his friend. He would never let it be known that he felt a great debt to her for that.

"Did you do anything exciting over your weekend?" He pushed up his glasses as he asked her politely. "Oh, no not really…I just drew a lot! Then did the massive amount of homework I had…"

"Are you having any trouble in any classes? I…I could help if you'd like." Satoshi wasn't sure if should say that, but something inside him told him to. '_And you thought you weren't good at flirting…tisk, tisk, tisk.' _Krad cooed inside his head as Satoshi struggled to think as Ayako stared at him for a moment, "Well…I'm not doing all that great in—"

"Hey guys! There you are!" Risa jogged over to them from the parking lot with her happy face as always. "Hi Risa! How was your weekend?" Ayako and the brunette hugged as they greeted one another.

"I suppose it wasn't so bad, even if my carpool car broke down yesterday when I went shoping…Oh, by the way, thank you so much giving me a ride Satoshi!"

Every muscle within Ayako froze tightly, wanting desperately to build a shield against reality. An over coming feeling of absolute doom and destruction overflowed the teenage girl's emotions and thoughts.

"Oh…r-really? Th…that's cool. How…very nice of you, Satoshi…" To be polite, Ayako had to yank the empty words of admiration out of her stuttering mouth. '_Today just isn't my day…'_

Satoshi looked indifferent about the problem, "Umm…thank you, Ayako…" However, he felt a little worried about Risa. '_Why did she say it like that? Now all those stupid people will think that it's true…'_ Satoshi thought angrily referring to the rumors of him and Risa.

"Well, I've gotta check out the cheer team real quick! See ya guys later!" Risa smiled and waved as she ran towards the field leaving the two alone once again.

'_Maybe I should just tell her the reason I gave her a ride was because I wanted to be nice…no, Ayako knows that's not true…' _Satoshi concentrated on the floor as he stressed about everything. '_What's wrong with me? Why am I so worried about this?' _–'_My dear Satoshi…it's only normal to keep what you want.' _Krad stated once again frustrating Satoshi even more.

"Umm, Satoshi?" Ayako looked up at Satoshi with those gleaming eyes he knows so well. "Yes, Ayako?" he replied looking down at the pretty girl. "Will you walk me to my first period class…please?"

Satoshi smiled at her, "Of course."

As they walked so close together, Satoshi unexpectedly felt like this would be one of the last times there would be any real peace with them. A friendship destined to mold into something much greater or much worse.

There was about to be change in reality for Ayako and him…and he regrets thinking about it every night and day.


	3. No One Knows

**Hello to anyone who reads this! Sorry it took such a long time! It's all because of School glares and homework...ugh... and also a lack of inspiration...so, i did my best for the third chapter:) **

**Chapter 3**

"_You can feel it can't you?" His honey voice dripped with glee, "Can't you feel it beckon you…?" The boy gazed at Phantom Dark in the safe shadows of night. Dark reluctantly turned around to the moving silhouette of his past. Eyes of soft lavender seemed to almost illuminate the rooftop. _

_It was just moments before that Phantom Dark was escaping Krad once again at a theft attempt. The night was chili as the moon seemed to feed its iciness. He could tell something was following him, but he couldn't tell what it was. _

_Unknown fright filled the Phantom as he slowly remembered those eyes. The eyes that held the color of his loss as they pierced the confidence of his memory. "Argentine…What do you want?" He asked coldly, ignoring all formal manners._

"_Well that's an absurd question…" Creeping leisurely out of the gloom of the darkness, the young boy stood in direct moonlight. _

"_You know exactly what I want…" Argentine's sandy blonde hair gently flowed in the wind, due to the height of the building. "Only, you can not remember what it is. Right, Kyokuyoko?" Dark's entire body tensed up while he spotted his purple eyes shift their mood into their real appearance. _

_They both stood there, anticipating each other's following move, ready for anything. The distant hum of city night life slowly became unnoticed as they were in their own world. Dark's mind swirled with frustration to try and remember what he had long ago forgotten. He deeply gazed into his enemy's eyes when it happened. _

_An abrupt glimpse of him reaching for something…or someone… 'But who…? Risa? No…it couldn't be.' The thief thought hard to himself when he suddenly spotted Argentine smiling. "You're pathetic, Kykoyko…Only the Rose rests where dreams' doze…" He leaped into the night sky behind him and gracefully landed on the cold cement of the city. _

"_WAIT! ARGENTINE! WHAT ROSE?!" Dark desperately shouted after his elusive adversary. Leaning over the edge of the roof, he saw his hope of another clue disappear into the night. "Why…?" _

The memory of this bizarre encounter haunted young Daisuke's thoughts. It was about three days ago now since it took place…ironically enough, it wasn't Argentine's visit that disturbed him so. It was how Dark's emotions completely engulfed him. The young red head had never felt his friend so helpless at the mercy of an opponent.

'_What was he reaching out to?'_ Daisuke attempted to remember the vision, but it had been fogged out ever since that night. Even so, an uneasy suspicion arose in him that Dark didn't forget. Daisuke was sure Dark did not forget that time. What did it all mean? "Only the Rose sleeps where Dreams doze…"

"Come again?"

Daisuke whipped around to find Satoshi towering over him. "Satoshi!" He gasped, surprised. "Hello, Daisuke…were you quoting a poem?" The silver haired boy sat down next to his best friend on the cool grass. "Uh, yes…I was. I-it's something from English class…" He quickly lied to him, trying to change the conversation. He was surprised that Satoshi would still be at the school at four in the afternoon.

"Oh, alright…" Satoshi seemed to sigh loudly to himself while he took out his homework. Daisuke waited a few moments and noticed something was wrong…. "Satoshi, are you alright?" Both of their eyes met when it suddenly hit him. "Where are you glasses?"

Satoshi did not look up from his papers as he tried to answer. "I…I wanted to see what it looks like without them…" Daisuke stared at the grass for a moment as his friend took notice. "D-does it look stupid?"—"What?! Oh-no-no! It doesn't look bad at all!" He flattered him kindly.

A moment of silence passed as both of their minds wondered… "Daisuke...three nights ago, do you remember …Argentine?" Satoshi asked intently, "Yes…Why? Did he do something to you too?" Daisuke turned to his friend, worried.

"Too? He said he only gave me---"

"Satoshi! Is that you? I told you that you'd look nice without glasses!" Ayako exclaimed as she plopped down right between them. Satoshi's attention quickly returned to his trigonometry problems. "Oh, so you're the one who made Satoshi—" Daisuke started when Satoshi rapidly cut him off.

--"Did you happen to buy that book I told you about?"

"Oh yeah! I have it right here somewhere…" Ayako's hands rummaged through her back pack. " I hope you guys weren't talking about Phantom Dark because then I'd have to start a serious debate!" She joked as Daisuke swallowed hard. "Ayako, why do you hate Phantom Dark so much?" The girl stopped searching for her book and smiled, "You'd never believe me if I told you."

From the corner of his eyes, Satoshi the book by her foot, '_it must have fallen out when she sat down…' _Without a second thought, Satoshi reached for it. "Oh, here it is!"

The two teenagers froze when both of their hands met. "I…" Daisuke looked at each of them and laughed to himself. "Here…you look at it first…" Ayako held Satoshi's hands in hers as she placed it in his lap. "Thank you." He replied dryly.

Satoshi slowly began to calm down as he quietly began to flip the pages of the book. "Look, this is my favorite picture…" Ayako pointed in the book from over his shoulder. Satoshi noticed her face was so close to his…

They both stared at each other for a moment when Daisuke interrupted. "Ahem…Ayako and I have to clean up the art room in a few seconds…." The two friends blushed hard as they separated and quickly packed their bags.

From a distance, Daisuke could see Risa coming towards them from across the field. "Hey, there's Risa!" He waved enthusiastically as tension rose within Ayako. She still wasn't sure if Risa liked Satoshi….and if she did, what would happen? '_Why her again?…she's just Risa…' _

"Hi everyone! There you are, Satoshi! You forgot that I still need help with our geometry project, silly…" The young girl walked over to him and clasped her arm around his. "You know, we can do this some other"---"Come on, there's not enough time!" Risa began pulling him away from the group.

Ayako's heart sank as she viewed her best friend toy around with Satoshi arm-in-arm. She knew that things were changing between them and everyone else since they were getting older… Besides, Risa and all of them were friends with Satoshi before she came into the group.

"_It can never go back to the way it was, Ayako…" _The young girl stared at the two of them while reminiscing the day that changed her life…

"Let me just get my things…" Satoshi slowly picked up his backpack and gave a look of annoyance to Daisuke who laughed.

"Bye, Satoshi!" Ayako managed to say as he turned and waved goodbye. Their voices faded as they walked away from Daisuke and Ayako. The troubled girl let out a sigh, "You better tell him, Ayako…" her friend insisted. "I know…" she did not finsh her sentence.

"You know what?" Daisuke and the brunette began walking toward their art class together. "I know that he's hiding something from me…he sometimes stops in the middle of his sentences…and doesn't bother to finish them." Ayako's eyes found their way up to the sky while her mind was filled with worry.

'_They were always close_,' Daisuke thought as he remembered how he helped them become friends, '_I wonder how he feels when he lies to her…then again, he's probably used to that. Being a cop and all…' _

Daisuke remained quiet as he opened the art room door for her. '_I feel so sorry for both of them…He can never tell her…and she can never know…not until it's all over...'_

"Jeez…you would think they let first graders in here…" Ayako scanned the room and was amazed at the mess that filled it. A few used brushes decorated the floor with splattered paint and paper towels loaded the trash cans to the rim. "Stupid freshman…" She sighed as took of her backpack.

Ayako placed it down by the student's works where all of them left their paintings and drawing to enter in competitions or display. Her gentle eyes scanned the names when she came upon Daisuke's. "Hey, cool! I didn't know they gave you your own storage-thingy!" She laughed as she reached inside the drawer eagerly.

Daisuke looked over his shoulder from picking up multicolored palates from the floor, and smiled. "Oh yeah! Go ahead and look at them if you want. Some might not be so good!" He joked as he walked towards the overflowing trash can.

"Psh! Yeah right, Daisuke Niwa! You are better than anybody I know at art! And I know a lot of people…" Ayako replied carrying the stack of artworks to a desk where she looked at each one carefully. The brush strokes were as fine as the picture was quite elegant. As she continued, she found a familiar one. "Wow…Ice and Snow! I loved how you expressed the two girl's facial expressions!"

"Oh, that one?" Daisuke laughed to himself, "Yeah…that one was quite and adventure…" He stuffed the trash down more with another handful. "Hey, remember when I went to your birthday party and you showed me that old picture you… did… of… Risa…" Ayako's voice slowly faded into the quiet of the art room.

"Yeah?...Why are you scared Satoshi wants it for investigation?" Daisuke began to laugh when he noticed his friend gave no reply. "Ayako? Ayako?" Gazing around the room, he found her gazing at a particular piece. The young brunette did not move. "Ayako…" Daisuke asked silently, cautiously walking up to her.

"Daiskue…" She quickly turned to him with a countenance that he had never seen before. "Why did you paint it?" her voice changed dramatically from all familiarity. "Ice and Snow?"—

---"No! This! Why did you paint this?!" The girl held up a recent painting of his that held a depiction of an eloquent mirror. "The Reflection of One's Face? I-I painted it because it …was an old mirror of my grandpa's." He lied to her, he never owned such a beautiful thing. "I painted it for his birthday…"

Ayako's attention went back to the boy's painting. "You're lying, Daisuke…" Her speech carried a weird sadness… "No, I'm not…" Ayako glared at him, "Yes, you are…tell me where you saw this…" Ayako got up and walked to him. Her eyes filled with the wonder of wanting to learn anything she told him. "Please…I need to know."

She remembered it well; the curves of the edge of the old mirror and how it used to tower over her once. The rose placed in between two silver wings at the very top of the mirror while decorated with various things like statues, jewelry, and engravings of other flowers. Ayako knew this old piece, and she would never forget it. The smell of aged wood came back to her as she recalled pulling off the velvet blue cloth…

"I…I saw it in a dream once…" Daisuke replied becoming increasingly nervous as to how she knew he was lying. "Right…" She slowly placed the artwork down and gathered all of his other pieces. "Ayako? Are you…how do you know?"---"I'm going home, Daisuke…I'm a little tired anyway. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait! Please tell me, how do you know that mirror?" the teenage boy called out to her.

Ayako stopped at the door and leisurely looked at him. "Daisuke…do you know why I hate Phantom Dark?"

"Daisuke, do you have any glue?" Satoshi's voice rang throughout the hallway. "Satoshi!" Daisuke jogged over to opened the door for Satoshi as he heard Ayako say good bye. The industry-like door closed with a _click_ while her footsteps could be heard running.


End file.
